It's one thing to catch
loads of Pokémon to fill up your Pokédex, but it's a whole other level of fun to
put together a formidable Pokémon team to go up against Gym Leaders and other
Pokémon Trainers—including your real-life friends. But before tackling these
tough battles, you'll need to be able to develop new strategies and adapt to
rapidly changing situations in the heat of battle. Of course, your opponent will
be constantly trying to outflank you as well, so you must be ready for anything.

Thanks to their
straightforward gameplay, Pokémon: Let's
Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go,
Eevee! are great for learning the ropes of Pokémon battling. With fewer
Pokémon and a streamlined system that doesn't feature Abilities and held items,
these games focus on basic battling skills. To get you ready for the main event,
we've put together some tips that will help you gain the edge in battle.

Catch Skilled Pokémon

The first thing you
need when putting together a solid team of Pokémon for battle is, well, a bunch
of skilled Pokémon to choose from. Sure, you could assemble a team of random
Pokémon that you've caught, but if you want to be the very best, you'll need to
get your Pokémon in peak condition.

To begin with, you
must be aware that Pokémon have six individual stats—HP, Attack, Defense,
Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed—that determine how well they perform
in battle. These stats are affected by the Pokémon's individual
strengths, and having a high individual strength for a particular stat will
help your Pokémon improve in that area more dramatically. If you've collected
at least 30 different species of Pokémon, you can talk to one of Professor
Oak's assistants in the gate on Route 11 to earn the Judge function, which will
help you evaluate each Pokémon's individual strengths on its summary screen.

Building a large
Catch Combo while hunting wild Pokémon is a great way to find Pokémon with high
individual stats in the areas you want to focus on. Once your Catch Combo is
greater than 30, each Pokémon you catch will have a max value for at least four
of its stats. Our Catch
Combo strategy guide has plenty of great advice on how to
find your ideal Pokémon with that method.

It's in Their Nature

A Pokémon's Nature also affects the growth of its stats. However, there is a bit of
a trade-off, since most Natures will boost one stat while hindering another. By
looking at a Pokémon's summary screen, you can see which stats are being
affected—those in pink are being increased, while those in blue are being
decreased.

Natures can't be
changed, but there is a way to manipulate which Nature the Pokémon you catch
will have. Madam Celadon, a fortune teller who hangs out in Celadon City's
Pokémon Center, can help you find wild Pokémon with the Nature you desire. For
a fee, she will ask you a pair of questions. Your responses will determine the
Nature of all wild Pokémon that you will encounter for the rest of the day. Look
at the chart below to see which answers you should give to get the Nature you
desire.

Which flower do you water?

Red

Yellow

Blue

Green

Pink

Which flower will you thin out?

Red

Hardy

Bold

Modest

Calm

Timid

Yellow

Lonely

Docile

Mild

Gentle

Hasty

Blue

Adamant

Impish

Bashful

Careful

Jolly

Green

Naughty

Lax

Rash

Quirky

Naïve

Pink

Brave

Relaxed

Quiet

Sassy

Serious

Hyper Training

You might think
that after a Pokémon reaches Lv. 100, that would be the end of its potential
growth. Fortunately, that is not the case. Thanks to Hyper
Training, you can give your Lv. 100 Pokémon
an extra boost! Once you've become the Champion of the Pokémon League, you can
chat with Mr. Hyper in the Pokémon Day Care on Route 5, just south of Cerulean
City. In exchange for a Bottle Cap, Mr. Hyper will max out a single individual
strength for one Pokémon—and for a Gold Bottle Cap, he'll max out all for that
Pokémon!

Bottle Caps are
relatively scarce in Pokémon: Let's Go,
Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!,
but with some diligence, you can find them. Look for hidden items throughout
the Rocket Game Corner in Celadon City. The hidden items there change daily, so
be sure to stop by frequently and scour the floor for valuable prizes.

Build a Balanced Team

Once you've caught
a selection of skilled Pokémon, it's time to assemble a balanced team. Every Pokémon
move, of course, has a type, which gives advantages or disadvantages against certain
types of Pokémon. Water-type moves, for example, are strong against Fire-type Pokémon,
but they will have some trouble when facing Grass-type Pokémon. Consider what
types of Pokémon and moves your opponent will be using, and tailor your crew to
counteract what you expect to go up against.

Likewise, when
teaching your Pokémon moves, it's a good idea to have them learn a variety of
moves that don't all match their type. Consider the Poison- and Ground-type
Pokémon Nidoking, a Pokémon that can be a considerable force in multiplayer
battles. Certainly, it makes good use of the Ground-type move Earthquake and of
Poison-type moves like Poison Jab, but you'll find that also teaching it the
Water-type move Surf and the Ice-type move Ice Beam will give it the edge over
a wider range of opponents, particularly over Pokémon that resist its other
attacks, such as Aerodactyl and Dragonite.

It's also worth
noting that the Rock-type move Stealth Rock can be particularly valuable,
especially when battling a human opponent, who's more likely to switch out Pokémon
midbattle than an NPC Trainer. Use the move early in battle—it doesn't cause
any immediate damage, but it lays a trap on the battlefield, inflicting damage
on any of your opponent's Pokémon that enter the match afterward. Some Pokémon
will learn this move naturally through leveling up, but it can also be found in
TM56, which is located on the first floor of Victory Road, near the end of your
adventure.

Don't Forget Your Partner

Considering your partner
Pokémon can't evolve in Pokémon: Let's
Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let's Go,
Eevee! like it usually can, you might not think that it would be particularly
useful in battles. Don't underestimate either of these adorable Pokémon,
though! Pikachu and Eevee are talented Pokémon that have high stats and exclusive
access to some powerful moves that can tip the scales in your favor.

Pikachu's Zippy Zap
move, which can first be learned by chatting with the Partner Move Tutor in
Cerulean City's Pokémon Center, has increased priority and always results in a
critical hit. It can be devastating when used against a Pokémon that has a
weakness to Electric-type moves. Pikachu's other exclusive moves, Floaty Fall
(a Flying-type move) and Splishy Splash (Water type, of course), also do
considerable damage and have a solid chance of making your opponent flinch or become
paralyzed, respectively.

Your partner Pokémon
Eevee is even more versatile, as it can learn exclusive moves that are inspired
by all its many Evolutions. Although Eevee may be only Normal type, it has
access to exclusive Fire-, Water-, Grass-, Electric-, Ice-, Psychic-, Dark-,
and Fairy-type moves. Each of these attacks is quite powerful, dealing damage
to your opponent's Pokémon while also leaving a lasting effect on the battle,
such as healing your team's status conditions, burning your opponent, or hitting
your foe with an HP-draining Leech Seed. Some of these additional effects are unique,
too, making your partner Eevee a huge asset in battle.

Candy Goodness

As you catch
Pokémon during your adventure, you can earn Candies. Professor Oak also gives
you some when you send him Pokémon. These delicious treats are perfect for
giving your Pokémon a permanent boost to their stats, and you'll definitely
want to indulge your Pokémon's sweet tooth before going into battle. This is
especially true if you're competing against a friend who hasstronger Pokémon.

In a multiplayer
battle, you can adjust the battle rules to have Normal rules or No
restrictions. Under Normal rules,
all players' Pokémon are adjusted to Lv. 50 and any stat boosts from eating Candies
will be temporarily removed for the duration of the battle. With No restrictions in place, however,
your Pokémon will have all the benefits of whatever Candies you've given them.
(Of course, the same goes for your opponent's Pokémon!)

A standard Candy
will increase one stat when you give it to a Pokémon. The type of Candy
determines which stat it increases. Health Candy increases HP, Mighty Candy
increases Attack, Tough Candy increases Defense, Smart Candy increases Special
Attack, Courage Candy increases Special Defense, and Quick Candy increases
Speed.

There are also
three different sizes of standard Candies. Any Pokémon can enjoy “regular”
Candy, while only Pokémon that have reached Lv. 30 can be given Candy L. Candy
XL is for Pokémon Lv. 60 or higher.

You can also occasionally
find Pokémon-specific Candies, though they're not as common as standard Candies.
As you might imagine, these Candies can only be given to the Pokémon they're
named after (or that Pokémon's evolved forms). The benefit, though, is that
they will boost all of a Pokémon's stats with just one piece!

Mega Evolution

When you need an
extra edge during battle, don't forget to take advantage of Mega Evolution.
This temporary transformation will alter the appearance of your Pokémon and
increase its stats for the duration of the battle (although its HP will remain
the same). Not all Pokémon can Mega Evolve, and you can only use the technique
once during battle, so plan carefully on how you want to use it.

For your Pokémon to
Mega Evolve, you will need a Key Stone, which you will receive from Professor
Oak and Blue toward the end of your adventure. You will also need a Mega Stone that
corresponds with the Pokémon you wish to Mega Evolve. You'll be given a few
when you acquire the Key Stone, and more can be purchased from a man inside the
Pokémon League after you become the Pokémon League Champion. You'll also get a
pair of Mega Stones for Mewtwo after defeating Green.

In addition to the
stat increase, some Pokémon will undergo a change in types when they Mega
Evolve. It's a good way to disrupt the battle, and it may force your opponent
to rethink any strategies they formed when you first brought out your Pokémon,
especially if two of your team's Pokémon have the potential to Mega Evolve.
Some Pokémon even have two different forms of Mega Evolution, to mix things up
even more. Not surprisingly, Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y have both proven
to be extremely useful in multiplayer matches, but even some Mega-Evolved
Pokémon with only a single form, such as Mega Alakazam, Mega Gengar, Mega Gyarados,
and Mega Aerodactyl, are capable of dishing out a lot of punishment.

Parting Words

Putting together an
ideal Pokémon team for battles can certainly be a challenge, but experimenting
with what works and what doesn't is half the fun! Once you've assembled a
powerful crew, test your skills by getting together with a friend either
locally or online for some intense battles! And make sure to check out other
video game and Pokémon TCG tips at Pokemon.com/Strategy.

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